Self-Organising Citizens Don't Always Know How to Make A
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SOCIAL INNOVATION IN ROOM FOR THE RIVER: SELF-ORGANISING CITIZENS DON’T ALWAYS KNOW HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Jurian Edelenbos* This article discusses two projects from the Room for the River programme, namely the Overdiepse Polder and the Dike Relocation at Lent. A comparison is made between the two projects in order to learn lessons regarding the worthwhile involvement of citizens (residents, farmers) in the development and implementation of the Room for the River measures. This is done from the perspective of societal self-organisation, in other words, the capacity to take the initiative with respect to the development and the implementation of plans for complex projects. This article first positions the general notion of and terms). This means that the level of participation public participation. This is followed by assessing can vary from simply informing citizens, through to two projects, structured by a number or recurring ambitious levels of participation, in such cases the questions. The discussion is based on a number of citizens help make decisions and assist in formulating core publications.1 Finally we reflect on the cases policy.4 A feature of the first two types of participation with regard to successful societal self-organisation is that they are initiated, conditioned and organised by in water governance projects. How is it possible that the government. This is different from the third type the resident’s initiative for the Overdiepse Polder was of participation, called: societal self-organisation. Here recently awarded the Water Innovation Prize for 2012 the initiative is taken by the citizens who demonstrate (category for interest group and private initiatives) and self-organisation initiating planning and presenting the initiative for Lent has basically fallen into obscurity? ideas. Typical for self-organisation is that the initiatives are started voluntarily by one or more citizens for the benefit of others or for society in general.5 Examples Societal self-organisation of such initiatives include: citizen budgets, green space For over 40 years now attempts have been made in the management by citizens, and the Burgernet [citizen’s Netherlands to encourage citizen participation in the network] (security). All three types of participation decision-making processes specifically concerning the play important roles nowadays, and in practice they areas of spatial development, water and infrastructure.2 alternate. Nowadays, in practice there are at least three different Attention for the third type of participation, societal types of participation.3 The first one concerns the legal self-organisation, has risen over the past years. The rights of citizens with respect to participation: citizens idea of societal self-organisation connects closely to the have the opportunity to react to a (proposed) decision. quest towards citizens to take on more responsibility, The second one is known as interactive policymaking, and to lay less responsibility at the feet of government. where at the initiative of the government, citizens are The line taken by the previous Rutte government given the opportunity to become actively involved in (motto: ‘Freedom and responsibility’) is being policy preparation, creation and implementation, albeit continued by the current Rutte II government. The often from a clearly defined framework (preconditions idea of citizens taking more individual responsibility, * Jurian Edelenbos is hoogleraar Erasmus University Rotterdam, Public Administration Department, Governance of Complex Systems research group. 32 – WATER GOVERNANCE – 02/2013 © Baltzer Science Publishers SOCIAL INNOVATION IN ROOM FOR THE RIVER however, is not only finding increasing response from something really had to be done with the bottleneck. government, but also from the citizens themselves. When considering the latest measures at the end This development is reinforced by the financial of the 1990’s, an important change in the way of crisis and the reducing capacity of government to thinking about water security took place. Instead of organise and pay for public services. Governments improving the dike, the emphasis would be put on also seek other ways of making citizens take on river widening. In 2000 the secretary of state gave more responsibility. Examples of this development the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and can be observed in healthcare (e.g. informal care), Water Management instructions to investigate the sustainable energy (e.g. local energy companies) possibilities for relocating the dike at Lent. This and urban developments (e.g. joint project signalled the start of the project, and from that date commissioning). But self-organisation is mainly the name ‘Dike Relocation Lent’ was used even before visible in the areas of spatial development and water the Room for the River programme officially started. management. Research into creating room for rivers A quick-scan was implemented. It appeared from the shows that local stakeholders develop their own plans scan that in view of the current standards, measures via self-organisation in order to introduce changes to had to be taken at the bottleneck. The proposed government plans. Specific examples of this include measure was to lay a green river. The river could Noordwaard, Overdiepse Polder and Dike Relocation be laid according to three alternatives: above the at Lent.6 residential area, through the centre of the residential Societal self-organisation does not develop in a area, or in the southern part of the residential area. vacuum. It tends to develop within a generally However, the first two alternatives were not possible busy institutional landscape where public issues are owing to the high risks associated with flooding; the to a large extent appointed to in formal political third alternative, therefore, running to the south of authorities (in the state or state-related organisations). the residential area was selected. In the same period Little is actually known about how exchanges the Brokx commission got involved by carrying out between societal self-organisation and administrative a survey for the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public and political institutions develop, or what constitutes Works and Water Management that looked at the a stimulating context for the blossoming and viability third option. According to the plans at that time, part of societal self-organisation.7 of the village of Lent would have to be demolished. OVERDIEPSE POLDER The Overdiepse Polder is Further examination of two self- approximately 550 ha (excluding the river washland organisation projects in Room for the River areas) located in the province of North Brabant and In order to obtain a better understanding of self- surrounded by the Bergse Maas and the Oude Maasje organisation within the context of area developments rivers. The polder is in an area that belongs to two and water management, this section discusses the Dike municipal authorities: Waalwijk and Geertruidenberg. Relocation at Lent and the Overdiepse Polder projects Until 1960 this area was regularly flooded in the from this perspective. The following questions are winter period. But after the Haringvliet Dam was retained as the structure: finished in 1971 the regular inundation of the area came to an end. This resulted in the area becoming How did the project get started? suitable for agricultural purposes. Seventeen farmers settled in this new land, each one being allocated When did the citizens enter the picture and how did between 25 and 40 hectares. The total population self-organisation get started? of the area is around 95 people. One could say that it has become a interconnected community; there is What was the role of the citizens in the self- intens social contact between the famers who help organisation? each other in times of crisis.8 Because it appeared to be a suitable location with What was the effect of self-organisation? respect to the River Maas, the existing water storage function, as well as because of the limited number of people living there, the polder area was referred to as a ‘search location’ within the framework of the How did the project get started? ‘Room for the River’ programme. In the Integrale Verkenning Benedenrivieren (1998) [integrated survey of tidal rivers] the Overdiepse Polder was LENT Since the 1950’s a dike reinforcement named as a retention area. This study was carried programme has existed for the bottleneck at Lent. out by a relatively closed group and also involved However the programme never properly started the ZLTO [Southern Agricultural and Horticultural because there was no sense of urgency attached to Organization] and the water board. The area players it. Although the high water levels in 1993 and 1995 from the Overdiepse Polder were not involved at this did bring about change, and people realised that stage. WATER GOVERNANCE – 02/2013 – 33 SOCIAL INNOVATION IN ROOM FOR THE RIVER Plan Brokx Lentse Warande Plan Brokx Lentse Warande Measures: Measures: - Relocating river dike 350 metres inland - Excavating floodplain at ground level - Excavating a second channel - Reserves for any dike relocation Consequences: Consequences: - Meets the normative discharge of 18,000 m3/s - No houses demolished - Demolition of 50 houses in Lent - Meets the standard of 16.000 m3/s, for 18,000 m3/s extra measures are needed Illustration 1. Plan Brokx versus Lentse Warande9 relocation, was no longer in opposing because it was When did the citizens enter the picture given assurances with regard to the Waalsprong new and how did self-organisation get started? housing development, and generous compensation was offered, and money would also be provided by central government for a second bridge. Simultaneously a LENT Because of the dissatisfaction with progress being second administrative agreement was signed between made regarding creating a plan for the dike relocation, Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the residents of Lent set up the Lent Federation that the municipal authority of Nijmegen in which it was included various resident groups who were already agreed that central government would contribute €90 active in the village.